Buying your child a new bike this Christmas? Finding it hard to pick the right one? Relax – we've put together a complete guide to help you choose wisely…
- How to teach a child to cycle in 30 minutes
- Best bike: what type of bike should I buy?
- Cycling gifts: the ultimate Christmas gift guide for cyclists
The first thing to keep in mind is that children's needs vary wildly depending on their age and ability. Balance bikes are where it's at for the preschool crowd, then by the time they progress to 16in wheels they'll (hopefully) be pedalling away without stabilisers before very long.
Move up a notch to 20in wheels and gears start to make an appearance, then by the time they're nine and riding 24in wheels, they'll basically be riding smaller versions of adult bikes – disc brakes, suspension and all.
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In order to make sure Santa knows the right model for your child, let's look more closely at the different age groups you might be buying for, what wheel sizes to expect, and check out examples of the best bikes we've seen…
Bikes for preschoolers
They're up and running – okay, toddling – so you're keen to buy them a set of wheels. Great! You've basically got two options – a balance bike (AKA strider, push-along) or a trike.
We know trikes seem like the attractive option, as they let your child propel themselves happily along from the word go, but here's why you should buy them a balance bike instead: they'll help your child develop the skills needed to balance by steering first. This means that they'll quickly master the transition to two-wheeled pedal-powered bike without ever needing stabilisers.
Ridgeback Scoot
- Price: £99 / $179 / AU$140
Strider 12
- Price: £88 / $119 / AU$ 139
FirstBike
- Price: £99 / $159 / AU$ 199
Bikes for kids aged four to six
Islabikes Cnoc 16
- Price: £249 / $309
- UK: Buy now from Islabikes
- USA: Buy now from Islabikes
- AUS: Ship from the UK
Giant Animator
- Price: £169 / $185 / AU$ 229
- UK: Buy now from Rutland Cycling
- USA: Buy now from Giant Bicycles
- AUS: Find an Australia dealer and expect to pay AU$229
Frog 48
- Price: £205 / $290 plus $115 shipping
- UK: Buy now from Frog Bikes
- USA: Ship internationally
- AUS: For Australia, consider the Byk E-350 instead
Bikes for kids aged six to nine
Islabikes Beinn 20
- Price: £369 / $499
- UK: Buy now from Islabikes
- USA: Buy now from Islabikes
- AUS: Ship from the UK
Specialized Hotrock 20
- Price: £250 / $360 / AU$ 350
- UK: Buy from Evans
- USA: Buy from Specialized
- AUS: Buy from Evans
Bikes for kids aged nine to 12
Scott Voltage JR
- Price: £349 / $400 / AU$ 580
Frog Road 67
- Price: £425 / $654 plus $115 shipping
- UK: Buy now from Frog Bikes
- USA: Ship internationally for $654 plus $115 shipping
- AUS: For Australia, consider the Byk E540R
Bikes for kids aged 12+
Giant TCR Espoir 24
- UK: Buy now from Cyclestore
- USA: Buy now from Giant
- AUS: Find an Australian dealer and expect to pay AU$829
Expensive kids' bikes for the deep-pocketed parent to consider
Carbon XS Cycles Mad 6
Islabikes Creig 26 Pro Series
You can read more at BikeRadar.com
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